Work Capability Questionnaire and NI Contributions towards State Pension

I applied for ESA National Insurance Credits that will boost my state pension which I'm due to get in 2021.

I've never applied for ESA before as I'd worked out I wasn't eligible for financial help from the state.

However my 'far away' Universal State Pension would be £20 a week short through not having enough NI Contributions.

Anyway I applied and was sent a Work Capability Assessment Questionnaire to fill out. My left hand was my writing hand - it no longer works so filling out a paper questionnaire isn't going to happen!

I'm a two finger typist with my right hand so I filled in a digital ESA50 form and mailed it off with a day in hand.

I got a letter back almost immediately saying my application had been turned down and they wanted me to attend a medical assessment.

Now that the festivities have finished I decided to enquire if and when I need to attend an examination. To my surprise they said I don't need to attend a medical and that I've been placed in the support group with no Drs note needed for three years.

Sounds like a good result, even if it is only for the NI credits then at least being in SG means you won't have to do WFI's or the Work Programme.
Of course you will still be subject to periodic reassessment, (3 years away) but having passed on paper so quickly once it's likely to be done on paper again next time.

That bit about the letter turning you down but still wanting you to go for assessment doesn't sound right.
Why assess you if you have already been refused?
Sounds like a mix-up, or maybe you read it wrong, the wording often seems designed to confuse.
It's probably something to do with not qualifying for CB ESA by lack of contributions, but still wanting to assess you for IR ESA?

I would wait for the letter confirming you have actualy been awarded SG and not rely too much on what the phone jockey said.

I'm intelligent enough to know that I don't know everything.
But I'm good at searching for, and finding, stuff.

- Put me in the Support Goup
- No physical medical assessment needed as my Doctor's note did the trick.
- No doctors well notes needed for 3 years
- NI Contributions will be credited for the next 3 years towards my State Pension

Now that is a confirmed result all thanks to nuked who suggested I applied.

I only need four years to get the new full Universal State Pension in 2023 - if I'll still here! I guess they'll just give me another paper review to get an additional year - my health won't be improving so there will be no change as it stands.

No, you have an ESA Support Group award so it's either CB or IR based, you're just not getting paid any money for it.

It will probably be IR ESA, because CB ESA is not means tested so savings and capital don't count.

If it was CB ESA then the private pension would reduce CB ESA by half the amount, before tax, of any pension over £85.
Eg. if your pension was £95/week then CB ESA would be reduced by £5 - (95-85)/2
You would have to be on a pretty big private pension for it to wipe out CB ESA Support Group payments completely. (Somewhere over £300/week).

You need to double chec if it is CB or IR, because IR ESA entitles you to free healthcare and the rest.

I'm intelligent enough to know that I don't know everything.
But I'm good at searching for, and finding, stuff.